Pea shooter



Oct. 5, 1948. E. w. HELBERG EI'AL PEA SHOOTER Fil ed Sept. 26, 1945IIIll/l/llfllll/ llllllllllrl m g M Patented Oct. 5, 1948 oFFici:

PEA SHOOTER Edwin W; l-lelberg, Chicago, and Vernon C. Helberg,Evergreen Park, Ill.

Application September 26, 1945, Serial No. 618,658 7 Thisinventionrelates in general to toys, and

more particularly to those devices commonly known as pea shooters.

The ordinary and well known pea shooter. consists simply of a tube; oneend of which is placed in the mouth of the user, who customarily car-The primary purpose of our present invention Claims. (Cl. 124-12) is toprovide a toy which will protect the user I from injury caused byrunning the tube into his mouth or down his throat.

Another object is to provide a toy'of the character indicated, in whicha quantity of the peas or similarmissiles can be stored in a magazinewhich is embodied in the structure of the toy. The magazine which willhold a substantial number of missiles makes the carrying of suchmissiles in the users mouth entirely unnecessary While our inventioncontemplates a magazine in which a substantial number of missiles may bestored for use and automatically deliveredas they are successivelyexpelled, it also provides for the feeding of the missiles into thedevice singly by hand, if for any reason the user should prefer.

Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. l with portionsof the device shown insection; V r

Fig. 4 is a plan viewof the device illustrated in Fi .1; and i Fig. 5 isan enlarged fragmental sectional View similar to the disclosure of Fig.3, but showing the flexing of the missile holding fingers when theuser'blows through the tube to expel a missile therefrom.

By reference to the drawing it will be observed that the devicecomprises a tube indicated generally by reference character 6 looped orcoiled to provide a single convolution with the ends I and 8 of the tubedisposed preferably in substantially a common plane and projecting inopposite directions. The tube, made of light metal, plastic or othersuitable material, may be reversible, that is, the mouth may be appliedto either end and the missile will be projected from the opposite endwhen the user blows forcibly into the tube. Preferably, however, one endis rolled back asindicated at ill to provide a mouth piece, and the hereis slightly reduced to prevent the passage at that point of a missileapproximating in size the ever, is much less than that of a straighttube of equal length, so that the device can be readily carried whollyconcealed in the users pocket. Furthermore, since the end to which themouth is applied extends only a short distance from the convolution ofthe tube, the convolution will prevent the end from being accidentallyjammed down the users throat or into his mouth in such a manner as tocause serious injury. The inner wall of the tube is provided intermediate its ends, that is, at the bottom of the convolution, with anopening 9 through which the missiles to be projected by blowing aredelivered into the tube. A magazine adapted to contain a substantialnumber of missiles and which obviates the carrying of such missiles inthe users mouth, comprises a cylindrical member I I of metal, plastic orother suitable material, the upper end of which is notched as indicatedat [2 (Fig. 2) to interlock with the tube 6, and its lower end istelescoped over the upper portion of a base I3 formed of rubber orsimilar elastically resilient material notched at its lower extremity,as indicated at M, to straddle the lower portion of the tubeconvolution. By pressing downwardly upon the cylinder H the base l3 canbe compressed sufiiciently to permit the upper end of the magazine tobedisengaged from the tube 6 and tilted sideways to permit the fillingof the magazine through the open upper end. When filled or replenished,the magazine may be tilted back into the position shown in'the drawingswhere it will be held by engagement of the notch I2 with the overlyingtube under the pressure exerted-by the resiliency of the base I3.

It will be noted that the side walls of the cylinder II are providedwith perforations l5 overlapping the upper edges of the base l3surrounded by the cylinder walls. These openings are of sufficient sizeto permit one of the missiles l6, such as peas, beans, or other pellets,to be inserted through the opening into the magazine. From Fig. 2 itwill be observed that the upper margin of the base It is pressedinwardly by the insertion of a missile, After the missile has beenintroduced the displaced margin will resume its normal position andprevent escape through the openings l5 of any of the missiles from themagazine.

For the purpose of holding a missile which has passed from the magazineinto the tube so that such missile will not roll through the tube and bedelivered into the mouth of the user, or'become lost in the event thetoy should be inverted, and for the further purpose of insuring thatonly one missile will be delivered intothe tube before an ejection byblowing is performed, we have provided -a plurality of holding fingers l'formedby slitting the lower endof a tube l'8.formed of light weightrubber or rubberized fabric possessing a slight degree of resiliency andsubstantial flexibility. From Fig. 3 it will be observed that one of themissiles l6 delivered by the magazine into the tube is heldby'thefingers I! so that it will not become displaced byjany movement of.thetube, but will remain immediately. beneath thethroat of the magazine soas to.prevent the delivery of any further missiles until the one alreadyin the tube is discharged.

'Erom'Fig. 5. it will be apparent that when air isblown through the tubefrom left to right view ing this figure, thefingers at the right of themissile. will be flexed so as to, permit the projection of the missilefromthe tube, while those at'the left will be flexed upwardly by'the airstream to .temporarily hold the superposed missiles from falling intothe tube and atthe same time to substantially close or atv leastobstruct the'throat of the magazineto minimize the loss of'airipressurefrom the tube upwardly through the magazine. will,therefore, be carried by the air pressure through the remainder-of. thetube and discharged at the .end 'I,'Which in the instance illustratedbecomes the delivery end of the tube.

The curvature of the tube serves to increase tosome extent the velocityof the missile being discharged over the velocity of a similar missiledischarged by the same airpressure in-a straight tube, for the reasonthat centrifugal force will cause both the missile and the impellingairto hug the outer wall of the tube, thereby concentrating the airpressure back of the missile soas to utilize to the maximum extent theeifectiveness of the -'air stream.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a peashooter which embodies a tube-of considerable-length in a compactstructure so designed that it cannot be swallowed-or jammed into theusers throat. The tube is capable of use as a shooter-without themagazine attachment. In such case the tube woul'd'preferably beimperforate from end to end. form here illustrated, however, the tube isequipped-with a .magazine adapted to containza substantialrnumberofimissiles which are retained until projected in the intended manner,thus .obviating any danger of swallowing :such missiles. The magazinewhen, positioned in the convolution of the tube is closed, so.as-toprevent The missilealready in the; tube In the .1

loss of missiles therefrom, but may be readily displaced at its upperend for refilling by simply forcing the magazine cylinder downwardlyagainst the resiliency of the base I3 until its upper end is freed fromthe tube. The flexible holding fingers prevent loss of missiles, insurefeeding of the missiles from the magazine one at a. time only,.andserve.as..a.substantial.closure or obstruction'toprevent loss of airpressure from the tube through the magazine.

The structural details illustrated and described may obviously be variedwithin considerable lim- -'-its without; exceeding the scope of ourinven- -;tion asdefinedinthe following claims.

1. A pea shooter comprising an open ended tube in theform'of a-singleconvolution coil having itsends projecting in opposite directions.

2. A pea shooter comprising an open ended tube in the form of a singleconvolution coil having its ends projecting in opposite directions withthe longitudinal axes of said projecting ends disposed substantially ina common plane.

'3.A pea-shooter comprising an open-ended tube coiled into a singleconvolution with its-ends projecting in opposite directions, -one endofsaid tube being folded backuponitself to provide a mouthpiece"surrounding the tube.

- 4. A pea shooter comprising an openended tubecoiled intoa-singleconvolution with its ends projecting in opposite directions atthe top of the convolution-and provided-in the inner'wall of the lowerportionof the 'coil with anopening, amagazine extendingdiametrically-within the-coil and engaged at its ends therewith tofrictionally hold the magazine' against displacement, said-magazinecommunicatingwith the interior of the coil through said openingand said magazine being provided with an opening-through' a side-wallthereof for the loading oflmissiles into 'the magazine.

5.*-A pea -shooter-oomprising an-open ended coiled-tube having its openends "extending in I opposite "directions at the "top of thecoil andbeing provided-atthe-bottom of the coil with an opening, 'aanagaZinepositioned 'within the coil-so as tocommunicaite with the interiorthereof through said-opening, 'said magazine extending diametrically (ofthe coil and being shaped for interlocking-engagement with the coilwhereby the magazine is -'retained-'against displacement.

EDWIN W. il-TELBERG.

VERNON C. HELBERG.

"REFERENCES T'ICITED The followingrreferences 'are'of record in thefile,of-this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 28,698 Stevens June 12, 1860278,005 Fredricks et al May 22, 1883 565,423 Becket a1 Aug. 11, 1896629,182 Wise July 18 1899 921L764 Wheeler May 18,1909 1,152,447 SproullSept. 7, 1915 1,290,050 -Bay et' a1 -Jan. 7, 1919 2,427,490 Berrayarzaet al. Sept. 16, 1947 FOREIGN. .PA'IIENTS Number 'iCountry Date 161,298"Germany Dec. '15, 1903

